Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine ITEM, Nikolai-Fuchs-Str. 1, 30625 Hannover, Germany.
Instituto de Tecnología Cerámica-AICE, Universitat Jaume I, Campus Universitario Riu Sec, Avenida Vicent Sos Baynat, 12006 Castellón, Spain.
Ann Work Expo Health. 2017 May 1;61(4):468-480. doi: 10.1093/annweh/wxx014.
The exposure to respirable crystalline silica (RCS), e.g. quartz, in industrial settings can induce silicosis and may cause tumours in chronic periods. Consequently, RCS in the form of quartz and cristobalite has been classified as human lung carcinogen category 1 by the International Agency for Research on Cancer in 1997, acknowledging differences in hazardous potential depending on source as well as chemical, thermal, and mechanical history. The physico-chemical determinants of quartz toxicity are well understood and are linked to density and abundance of surface silanol groups/radicals. Hence, poly-2-vinylpyridine-N-oxide and aluminium lactate, which effectively block highly reactive silanol groups at the quartz surface, have formerly been introduced as therapeutic approaches in the occupational field. In the traditional ceramics industry, quartz-containing raw materials are indispensable for the manufacturing process, and workers are potentially at risk of developing quartz-related lung diseases. Therefore, in the present study, two organosilanes, i.e. Dynasylan® PTMO and Dynasylan® SIVO 160, were tested as preventive, covalent quartz-coating agents to render ceramics production safer without loss in product quality. Coating effectiveness and coating stability (up to 1 week) in artificial alveolar and lysosomal fluids were first analysed in vitro, using the industrially relevant quartz Q1 as RCS model, quartz DQ12 as a positive control, primary rat alveolar macrophages as cellular model system (75 µg cm-2; 4 h of incubation ± aluminium lactate to verify quartz-related effects), and lactate dehydrogenase release and DNA strand break induction (alkaline comet assay) as biological endpoints. In vitro results with coated quartz were confirmed in a 90-day intratracheal instillation study in rats with inflammatory parameters as most relevant readouts. The results of the present study indicate that in particular Dynasylan® SIVO 160 (0.2% w/w of quartz) was able to effectively and stably block toxicity of biologically active quartz species without interfering with technical process quality of certain ceramic products. In conclusion, covalent organosilane coatings of quartz might represent a promising strategy to increase workers' safety in the traditional ceramics industry.
在工业环境中，可吸入结晶二氧化硅（RCS），例如石英，会引起矽肺，并可能在慢性期引发肿瘤。因此，1997 年，国际癌症研究机构将石英和方石英形式的 RCS 归类为人类肺部致癌物 1 类，承认危险潜力因来源以及化学、热和机械历史而异。石英毒性的理化决定因素已得到充分理解，与表面硅醇基团/自由基的密度和丰度有关。因此，聚 2-乙烯基吡啶-N-氧化物和乳酸铝以前曾被引入职业领域作为治疗方法，因为它们可以有效地阻止石英表面的高反应性硅醇基团。在传统陶瓷行业中，含石英的原材料是制造过程中不可或缺的，工人有潜在的风险患上与石英相关的肺部疾病。因此，在本研究中，两种有机硅烷，即 Dynasylan®PTMO 和 Dynasylan®SIVO 160，被测试为预防性的、共价的石英涂层剂，以在不降低产品质量的情况下使陶瓷生产更安全。首先在体外使用工业相关的石英 Q1 作为 RCS 模型、石英 DQ12 作为阳性对照、原代大鼠肺泡巨噬细胞作为细胞模型系统（75µg cm-2；4 小时孵育±乳酸铝以验证与石英相关的效果），以及乳酸脱氢酶释放和 DNA 链断裂诱导（碱性彗星试验）作为生物学终点，分析了人工肺泡和溶酶体液中的涂层石英的涂层效果和涂层稳定性（长达 1 周）。在大鼠气管内滴注研究中，用涂层石英进行了体外研究，以炎症参数作为最相关的检测指标，证实了体外结果。本研究结果表明，特别是 Dynasylan®SIVO 160（石英的 0.2%w/w）能够有效地、稳定地阻断具有生物活性的石英物种的毒性，而不干扰某些陶瓷产品的工艺质量。总之，石英的共价有机硅烷涂层可能是提高传统陶瓷行业工人安全性的一种有前途的策略。
